San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1887-07-30
A STRANGER IN GOTHAM.
interview with q Man Who Makes I'm.
provement Of the Memory a Specially.

ys
Especial Correspondence
New YORK, July 1.-THE third or fourth
story, front, OF an imposing building on Fifth
avenue, near its junction with Broadway,
bears a sign sure to attract attention from
the street. 1t is in black and white, extends
acroSsa window, and aside from a Sprofes.
sors" name bears in huge capitals the word
Memory" Curiosity impelled me to ascend
the winding stairways which led to the office
to which the window and its sign belong A
pretty girl sprang up from manipulation Of q
typewriter In an outer office as entered, and
when l asked for the professor stepped into
the inner room, where was soon invited.
A stout man with big head, partly bald,
and gray mustache, sat in this apartment
tearing open letters from pile before him
asked an explanation of his peculiar sign.
There Is little to explain about It," he
said, except that teach people 10 remem-
Der anything they want to remember. With
the cooperation Of any pupil one can have
just as good memory as he may desire to
have"
"How long does 1t take to learn, professorln
"The course consists of five lessons, which
may be given by mail fully as well as in
person"
Anu now long are the leSSOnST
THAT depends on the pupil, Of course; the
average is about three hours, I think. Much
OF my teaching Is done in classes by series
OF lectures have lectured to o class of 200
at Yale college, 400 at the University of
Pennsylvania, 100 Columbia law students.
800 lady students Of Wellesley college and
many others in this country In England 7
have been even more prominently identified
with educational Institutions
"How long have you been In this business1p
About twenty-five years, most of the time
abroad l still have a branch in London.
and, in fact, have been in this country only
about year. l was induced to come here
by my American pupils"
There are two stages of memory the lit
tie man said to me-"receptive power and re-
vival Of impressions. My system is to in
crease each Of these so you remember be-
cause you can't help yourself. Concentration
is the cardinal feature of the system, and the
first thing Is to strengthen the power of at
tention so you hold your mind on any sub
Ject without wandering Our natural mem
cries are broken down by learning things by
rote."
The professor gave me a pamphlet profuse
with caps italics and boldface lines from
which l learn that he also teaches "whist
memory" and the art of illustration, or how
to find appropriate anecdotes, adages, for
mulas, etc. Among the gentlemanis pupils
have been Judah p. Benjamin, W. W. Astor.
DIR. Buckley and Mark Twain. This year
the professor is to lecture before the Chautau-
qua N. " university.
The new magazine, The Cosmopolitan,
originally launched at Rochester, N. Y, has
been moved here and seems destined for sue
cess Its editor is Frank p Smith, until his
connection with The Cosmopolitan an edito
rial writer on The Democrat and Chronicle
at Rochester. The success of this new maya
zine is due almost entirely to the delicate vet
virile personality Of Mr.. Smith, | think. He
is tan and slender, with an oval face and
abundant coal black hair, carelessly brushed
across This forehead A black mustache
curls around the corners of his mouth and
his nose supports light steel framed glasses.
He is a close student, and is somewhat re-
served to strangers.
The advertising rates of the New York
daily papers strike terror to the hearts Of out
Of town advertisers. Tmade tour of several
Of the offices and asked for their rate cards.
For reading notices The World charges g. so
line on its first page, 15O and 81 on other
pages; for the Sunday paper, SO, 50, 81. so
and 81, the notices to be Starred" or marked
ldvt. For the same thing The Sun charges
t2 so on first page, Sl.50 on third page. The
Times rate is SO for first page, or a column Is
quoted at $40 each insertion. Advertise
ments for help, etc.. The Times make at five
cents to ten cents per line. For agate notices
preceding marriages and deaths The Tribune
Sas 81 per agate line, 90 preceding markets.
For "wants" The World charges twenty to
twenty-five cents per line, five cents extra on
Sunday. All the papers charge double price
or display type, electros and quadruple
ate for double columns Births, mar
.iages and deaths are sl.50 in The Times,
twenty-five cents per line in The World, Eve
,ents extra Sundays; 81 In The Tribune
! - WALTER WHEREBY